Ali Tareen, who owned Multan Sultan earlier, on this undated photograph. —Instagram/@aslitareen
Multan Sultans proprietor Ali Tareen on Tuesday confirmed that he won’t renew the Pakistan Tremendous League (PSL) franchise contract.
Tareen, in an announcement on X, highlighted repeated monetary losses throughout his time with the franchise earlier than confirming that he wouldn’t be renewing the possession contract for the 2021 champions, stating that he would “rather lose his team while standing on my feet than run it from my knees”.
All different house owners of the 5 franchise — Lahore Qalandars, Islamabad United, Quetta Gladiators, Peshawar Zalmi, and Karachi Kings — have prolonged their contracts for an additional 10 years.
“Being part of this team has been one of the greatest honours of my life. I love the fans, I love this team, and I absolutely love being able to represent South Punjab. Something my late uncle Alamgir Tareen was especially proud of,” Tareen acknowledged.
“Every season, I would tell our players and staff what it means to represent this region: a place full of people who work hard, fight for their rights, and push through challenges every single day,” Tareen said.
“I told them that the fans will forgive you if you lose, but they will never forgive you if you stop fighting. That mindset has shaped everything we have done, both on and off the field.
“Regardless of the monetary losses 12 months after 12 months, I by no means as soon as thought of strolling away. The Sultans have all the time meant extra to me than simply numbers. And I’ve all the time been keen to go so far as wanted to guard it.
“I know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, and I’m okay with that. But I have always been honest, and I have always spoken my mind. I never learned how to play it safe or just play along. That simply isn’t who I am. And if staying means compromising those principles, there is only one choice I can make.
“I might fairly lose this crew whereas standing on my ft than run it from my knees.
“So, this is goodbye. Please know that this team has always been much more than its owner. It belongs to you and to South Punjab. So whoever takes control of the Sultans next, please keep supporting them with the same passion. You can count on me to be in the stands supporting them, too.”
The Sultans’ proprietor had been at odds with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the PSL administration since earlier this 12 months. He had, a number of months again, made a startling revelation concerning the venue saga of the gamers’ draft for the tenth version of the event.
He then expressed his disapproval of PSL 10 anthem artist choice, calling the singer a ‘similar middle-aged dude’.
Tareen then hinted at rebidding for Multan Sultans after the landmark version as an alternative of renewing the contract earlier than ultimately difficult PCB’s declare of terming the current tenth season the ‘greatest ever’ of the marquee league.
In response to his current remarks, the PCB served a discover to the franchise over the violation of a number of clauses listed within the 10-year contract.
The insiders had steered that the franchise was susceptible to the revocation of its contract with the league, whereas its proprietor might get blacklist if it fails to reply satisfactorily.
In response, the Sultans issued a public assertion, claiming that the cricket board demanded that its proprietor, Tareen, “retract all recent critical statements and issue a public apology to the PSL management”.
Hours later, Tareen additionally delivered a sharply sarcastic rebuttal, criticising the PSL’s administration whereas ostensibly complying with the demand for an apology.
The video concluded with Tareen tearing up the authorized discover, a closing act of defiance following his “apology.” He ended his assertion with, “So, I hope you like my apology video.”
